More than 1,300 remain without power following high winds

• Stay at least 25 feet away from downed power lines and call 911 and Consumers Energy at 800-477-5050.

• Be alert to crews working along roads. Drivers should slow down or stop and wait for oncoming traffic to clear so they can safely go past workers on roadsides.

• Never use a generator in an attached garage, basement or near any air intakes, and never fuel a generator when it’s running. Operating a generator without proper ventilation can create carbon monoxide, an odorless, colorless and deadly gas. If using a generator, contact a licensed electrician to ensure that it is properly connected and make certain it is isolated form the company’s electric distribution system.

• In some cases, the mast that holds the electric service wires to a customer’s home or business may have been damaged or torn away. Crews will reconnect the wires to a home, but only a licensed electrician can repair a mast or a cable.

OGEMAW COUNTY — More than 1,300 Ogemaw County residents and businesses remain in the dark following high winds that caused region-wide power outages in the early morning of Dec. 5.

“Yesterday, we continued to experience some high winds,” Communications Representative Debra Dodd said. “Whenever we have high winds over 30 mph that are sustained, we usually don’t send our employees up in bucket trucks.”

Another issue Consumers Energy and its contractors face in the area is its rural composition, causing smaller pockets of outages.

According to the Consumers Energy outage map page, 1,389 out of the company’s 17,137 customers in the county remain without power.

For the second day in a row Whittemore-Prescott Area Schools was forced to cancel school because the district remained without power.

“Our crews are fully mobilized repairing damage caused by the latest storm,” the company’s website reads. “We will continue to work around the clock until every customer’s power is restored. Visit the outage center to report an outage, receive estimated restoration times and safety tips.”

Most areas that remain without power have an estimated restoration time of 11 p.m. Dec. 6, more than 24 hours after the high winds caused the outages.

Dodd said the company has 1,200 employees and contractors mobilized working on power restoration efforts throughout the state. As larger, more populated areas are restored, the crews will head north to work on the rural areas.

According to the company’s website, more than 18,000 remain without power in the state. Nearby counties like Roscommon, Iosco and Oscoda also have residents who remain in the dark.

“We certainly appreciate everyone’s patience,” Dodd said. “We know it is frustrating to be without power, especially as the temperatures get colder.”

Dodd said with the winds dying down, the company hopes it can beat the estimated restoration times.

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